The five metrics
- 1
Participation rate
The share of customers who actually share a link. If 100 people could refer and 8 do, participation is 8%. A low number usually means you have not asked, not that the reward math is wrong.
- 2
K-factor
New customers brought in by each existing customer. A simple version is invites sent per customer, times the share of those invites that buy. Above 1, each customer brings in more than one new customer. Most programs never get there. The number is still worth watching.
- 3
Viral coefficient
Another name for that same idea: how many additional customers one customer creates. Do not track it as a second mystery metric. Use one formula and stick to it.
- 4
Referral conversion rate
Of the friends who open the offer, how many buy. A weak offer or a confusing page shows up here. The advocate did their part. The page did not.
- 5
Cost per new customer
What you spent to get one new buyer. Compare ad cost with referred cost. Referred cost is the reward you paid, divided by the new customers that reward produced. ReferralNow’s dashboard shows referred customers, referred revenue, and that cost next to your ad cost.
Track the sales for $49 →Why a spreadsheet breaks
- ✕A customer says they sent a friend. You cannot match that to an order.
- ✕A shared discount code hides who sent whom.
- ✕Ad cost and reward cost live in two different tools, so CAC is a guess.
ReferralNow ties the link to a confirmed sale, then shows referred revenue and cost per new customer beside ad cost. That is the tracking. You still interpret K-factor from those counts.
Get ReferralNow Premium for $49 →Metric questions
Does ReferralNow calculate K-factor for me?
The dashboard records the inputs: new referred customers, referred revenue, and cost per new customer next to ad cost. K-factor is those counts turned into “new customers per existing customer.” You do not have to rebuild the sales in a spreadsheet first.
What is a good referral conversion rate?
There is no universal number. Compare it with your normal sales page. If referred friends convert worse, the offer or the landing step is the problem.
Is a K-factor above 1 required?
No. A program can still be worth running if referred customers cost less than ad customers. Above 1 is rare and is not a promise of the software.
What should I ignore at the start?
Vanity totals. Shares with no sales, and rewards paid on sales you cannot confirm. Track confirmed buyers and what each one cost.
Get ReferralNow Premium for $49 →